Karnataka Chief Minister Opposes Naming Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Zone
NDTV
Karnataka has the distinction of being one of the states with extensive forest cover and the state government has taken extreme care to protect the biodiversity of Western Ghats, said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday opposed declaring Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive zone as it would adversely affect the livelihood of the people in the region.
Participating in a virtual meeting on implementation of the Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats, chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Labour Bhupinder Yadav, Mr Bommai strongly presented the state's stand.
"Declaring Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive zone would adversely affect the livelihood of the people in the region. So the Karnataka government and the people living in the region are opposed to implementation of the Kasturirangan report," Mr Bommai said.
He drew the attention of the participants to the fact that the state cabinet had decided to oppose the Kasturirangan report.